Take a picture; it’ll last longer!

It’s no secret that I love what I do for a living. Whether it’s catching a new show in town, checking out the latest art installation, or attending local events in any number of charming hamlets and villages scattered across this gorgeous playground we call home, there is always something stimulating and picturesque calling to me. Although Memorial Day is lurking, the action has already begun in earnest, and with another birthday hovering over me (May 25—feel free to send cash), I rely more and more these days on taking photographs, in an effort to recall what I did “just the other day.” Honestly, I’ve never been the sharpest tool in the shed, but the years are catching up, and lately, I can’t recall what I had for breakfast more often than not. “Happens to the best of us,” my pals of a certain age declare. “You’re not exactly young anymore,” they add, sprinkling salt on the wound. Sigh. As a result, my efforts behind the lens are more important than ever, since I need visual reminders of where I’ve been during the week, while pretending that I actually recall being there.

Photography has become such a passion, that I never leave the house without the camera, except when I forget. When I run out with the Wonder Dog, I grab my trusty Nikon, hoping that I might see a hawk overhead, or a woolly bear making its way to safety underfoot, and I snap away, since the beauty of digital photography allows me to shoot hundreds, hoping to catch a single gem along the way. Some weeks, I take thousands, seeking to capture one that’s decent, and often think of the amazing Ansel Adams, who was quoted as saying, “Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop” (www.digital-photography-school.com).

With that in mind, I tossed the dog in the truck and made my way to Bethel, NY last Wednesday, where Hostess with the Mostess Stacy Cohen (www.dancingcatsaloon.com) was presenting Wepecket Island Records artists Sherman Lee Dillon, “Ragtime” Jack Radcliffe, Don Barry and Debbie Fisher Palmarini, with their “Rolling Roots Revue,” featuring harmonica, washboard, ragtime piano and some great (IMHO) vocals, courtesy of Palmarini & Co. “Even though “official’ season doesn’t begin for a few weeks,” Cohen said, “it’s always hopping at the Cat!” No argument here. I took over 100 photos during the evening, and found one decent shot in the batch, so felt ahead of the game.

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Jonathan Fox currently lives in Sullivan County. Having written for film and television, he now concentrates his efforts on novels, plays and assorted periodicals, along with his weekly "Humble Opinion" on life in the Catskills.